Wednesday, September 24, 2008

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

RUTHERFORD – After a thrilling three-set comeback win over BCSL-American Division rival Tenafly on Monday, the Rutherford girls volleyball team was flying high and brimming with confidence. Confidence is a good attribute for any team to have, but it also has it pitfalls; it can set up for an immediate letdown following a big win. That was what the Bulldogs were trying to avoid when a strong Wayne Valley squad came to town yesterday looking to score a signature win of its own.

Wayne Valley held a late lead in the second game before Rutherford rattled off the final four points of the match to hold on for a 25-21, 25-23 victory at Rutherford High School.

“Beating Tenafly was huge, but it would have meant less if we came out and lost today,” said Rutherford’s Caitlin Whitman. “We are starting to step up and come together as a team. I’m glad we didn’t have an emotional hangover after beating Tenafly.”

The teams went back and forth during the first game with neither team holding more than a two-point lead throughout until Rutherford’s Megan Cockcroft got on track from behind the service line. She served three aces in a 5-0 spurt to put the Bulldogs ahead 20-14 on their way to taking the first game.

“Megan (Cockcroft) gave us some big serves and gave us a lift when we really needed it,” said Rutherford head coach Helen Antzoulides.

Wayne Valley started off strong in the second game and led for most of it. They led by as many as four points, but Rutherford reversed that deficit with a 14-6 run. Grace Wong had two aces and two kills during the run to put Rutherford in front, 21-17.

It seemed like that was the hump the Bulldogs needed to get over on their way to victory. However, the Indians refused to go down without a fight and nearly forced a third game.

Taylor Paserchia’s kill tied the match at 21 and two attack errors capped a 6-0 spurt putting Wayne Valley two points from forcing a third and deciding game with a 23-21 lead. Just as they did against Tenafly, the Bulldogs bounced back.

Against previously unbeaten Tenafly, Rutherford was already down a game and trailed 18-12 in the second before ripping off a 13-4 run to end the game before winning in three to pull into a tie for the lead in the BCSL-American with Dumont.

This match was not nearly as impactful for the Bulldogs, but for the second time in as many days, they found a way to get by. Whitman made three strong serves, which directly led to a 4-0 run to close out the match.

The loss was a tough one to take for Wayne Valley, but head coach Jason Carcich was pleased with the effort and the progress he’s seeing in his young squad.

“We’re inexperienced and we’re not very crisp right now, but I think we’ll be a much better team in a month,” said Carcich. “Today we didn’t receive serve very well and we weren’t consistent in our passing game, but the effort was there and I’m already starting to see improvement. Our three losses are to Caldwell, West Morris Central, and Rutherford, all teams that are (top 20 ranked) in the state. Being competitive with these types of teams only helps come time for the county and state tournaments.”

Whitman led the way for Rutherford (6-1) with 16 assists, seven digs, five service points, two aces, and two kills. Deborah Hong led the Bulldogs in both digs and kills with eight and six, respectively.

Brittany Newman, who also had six digs and three aces, led all players with seven kills for Wayne Valley (2-3). Jen Ryan added 10 assists and Megan Mondelli added five kills and two blocks.

“We could have played better, but this is a nice win over a good team after beating Tenafly,” added Antzoulides. “The roller coaster ride we’re having this season is expected because we’re so young. We have pressure on us to go out and play well, which I think is a good thing. We have to become more steady in our play, but we’re getting better each day and we still have plenty of matches left to play before the county tournament starts.”

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